$800k + apology: Man sues Ohio over 19yr wrongful imprisonment

A man from Toledo who spent 19 years in prison is suing the State of Ohio for an apology and massive compensation.

Danny Brown has filed a lawsuit for wrongful imprisonment. He was
sentenced to life in 1982 for the murder of 28-year-old mother of
three Bobbi Russell, whom he was dating at the time. She had been
raped and strangled with an extension cord. The victims’
six-year-old son testified against Brown, landing him behind
bars, despite inconsistencies in the boy's testimony.

In 2001, a DNA test found no match between samples taken from
Brown and from the victim, which bought his freedom. He also
successfully passed a lie detector test. Soon afterwards, Brown
appealed his wrongful sentence.

His first attempt to gain compensation was turned down by a State
Court of Appeal. Prosecutors refused to clear him of suspicion,
even though the DNA results pointed to a different man, already
convicted of another murder.

“Even though I’ve been released from prison, I am still not
free,” Brown says. “Every day I feel the heavy burden of
this case, and this lawsuit gives me hope that justice will be
served.”

Brown's representatives say he can't find a job because of the
still-unresolved case and suffers from post-traumatic stress
disorder from his time in prison.

Filing his second lawsuit, Brown says the evidence is on his
side.

“There has [sic] been plenty of cases where DNA has overruled
eyewitness testimony, regardless of what the person is saying.
Because ultimately, the science is telling the truth, and the
individual eyewitness was faulty in their testimony,” he
said, as cited by the Guardian.

If Brown wins the case, he could receive almost $800,000 in
compensation, as state law provides for about $42,000 for each
year spent behind bars in a wrongful sentence.

Just last month, three
Ohio men were exonerated in a similar case. Two of them had spent
nearly 40 years in jail, after their initial death sentences were
commuted to life terms.